Exhaust machine



2 sheet's-shee 1 46 al 63 SZ I'ventov Frank J. Mal loy,

HIS Attorney" F. J. MALLoY EXHAUST MAcfuNE Filed May 26, 19:59

Dec. 19, 1941.

Dec. 9, 1941. F; J. MALLOY` 2,265,381

` EXHAUST MACHINE y Filed May 26, 1959 2 sheets-sheet 2 Fig.

Inventor: Frank J. Maloy,

Attorney.

Patented Doo. 9, 1941 EXHAUST Frank-J. Malloy, Cleveland Heights, hio,- assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application May, ze, 1939, serial No. 275,889

' s claims. wl. 11e-2) My invention relates to machines for exhausting electric lamps and other similar devices com.-

prising a sealed envelope, andmore particularly to a multiple head exhaust machine for sealing such devices after they have been exhausted and filled with gas to a pressure greater than atmospheric. l

'I'he exhausting and gas iilling of the envelope of such devices is done through a vitreous exhaust tube extending therefrom which is sealed or tipped oft while the device is still connected to the exhaust machine. vIf the device is lled with glas to a pressure greater than atmosphericI some changes are required in the tipping operation so that this operation heretofore has not been done on exhaust machines having the usual high rates of production.' One object of my invention is therefore to provide a rotary exhaust machine with tipping means suitable for closing and sealing devices filled with gas at pressures greater than atmospheric., Another object of my invention is to provide pinching Jaws, for heating and squeezing'the exhaust tube in order to seal it, oi more rugged andlas'ting construction than heretofore. Y

A feature of my invention is lthe provision of pinching or tipping jaws in association with each head. This is an important vfeature since it greatly speeds up the operation of 'machines oi this type by permitting heating of the pinching jaws and exhaust tube during rotation o! the turret. Other objects and features of my inventlon will appear from the following detailed description of a species thereof and from the accompanying drawings.

-In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of the front half of an exhaust machine comprising mv invention with portions of two of the heads thereof removed; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the ha!! of the machine shown in Fig. 1 taken along the line 2--2 therein; Figs. 3 and 4 are plan and end views respectively.' on an enlarged scale, of the-tipping Jaws of one or the heads of the l machine; and Fig. is a perspective view of the brushes andthe wiring diagram of an electrical.

mechanism `associated with each head.

Referring to the drawings, the machine comprises a plurality. (sixteen) of heads I Il which are mounted at regular spaced intervals on the carrier or turret-l II'in a circular path adjacent the-periphery thereof. 'I'he turret II is indexed in a counterclockwise direction in a manner causing each ofthe heads I3 to be carried in -turn through a series of stations and, as shown in Fi8.2,' is made up of the hub and. outer secstation B. Several operations are performed atv tions I I' and I I" Yrespectively which are mounted on the hollow center column I2 oi the machine. The hollow center column I2 provides the full support for the turret II and engages the ball bearing I3, which rests on the frame I4 of the machine, and the center post I5 which extends.

upward therethrough from another portion (not shown) of the frame I4.

In this particular instance, f the device being exhausted and sealed is an incandescent 5lamp I6 of the type disclosed in Patent 2,148,314, D. K. Wright.v The said lamps are introduced manually into lthe heads I0 by an oper-ator stationed opposite station A. The lamp I6 comprises a sealed envelope formed by the vitreous cup I1 and cover glass I8 which function as a reector and refractor respectively, a vitreous exhaust tube I9 which extends from the bottom or apex of the cup I1,

and metal terminal elements 2liy which are sealed to said cup I'l over openings therein at opposite sides of the exhaust tube I9. i

In inserting the lamp I6 into the head I0 of the machine, the operator directs the exhaust tube I9 between tipping jaws 2I and 22 and' into an open exhaust port 23 and rests the ange 24 of the cu'p Il on asbestos pads 25 on the arms 26 extending from a holder 2l. At this time, the tipping jaws 2l and 22 are separated and the exhaust port 23 is open so that the full weight of the lamp I6 is carried by the holder 21 which in turn rests on a radially extending arm 28 pivoted at its inner end on pin 29 extending from a bracket 30. The weight of these parts is not suilioient to cause movement of the arm 28 as the spring 3|, which'is located about the rod 32 between the holder 21 and the turret II-, is sutilciently strong to keep the holder 21 against the nuts 33--33 (Fig. 1) on the upper ends of said rod 32 and rod 34 respectively. Rod 34 is like rod 32 but is not provided, in this case, with a spring like spring 3l. The bracket 30 isa xed member, being fastened directly to the turret I I.

Following the insertion of the lamp I6, the turret II is indexed by mechanism (not shown) of the usual form and advances the head I0 into this station, the rst of which is .due to the passage of the head of the stud 35 on the arm 23 into position below the roller 36 on the arm'31 extending from the stationary post 33 so that the arm 23 and the lamp Ii are lowered to a pre- 'determined position. The exhaust port 23 is then closed on the exhaust tube I9 by movement of the arm 4l which is fastened to the vertical shaft 4I and which is turned so as to cause the roller thereon to engage and 4turn the arm 42 of said exhaust port 23. 'I'he shaft 4I is operated by means (not shown) actuated by the main driving means of the machine in the customary manner and is supported in a like manner from post 39 by a portion of the frame I4 (not shown). The arm 42 extends from a threaded cap 43 on the body 44 of the exhaust port 23 which is turned so that the rubber washer 45 is compressed betweenit and said body 44 and sealsv the opening between said body 44 and the exhaust tube I9.

An exhausting operation also takes place at station B as the upper half 46 of the rotary valve which is located on the axis of rotation of the turret II and below the center section II thereof is turned so that it is aligned with separate portions of the lower half 41 of said v alveto produce the exhausting operation.

Each head I is represented by a passage in thel upper half 46 of the `rotary valve like that at 48 which is connected to the body 64 of the exhaust port by the pipe nipple 49, rubber tube 50, pipe 5|, trap 52, pipe 53 and rubber tube 54.

The 'passage 46 at this instant is located above a passage corresponding to that shown at 55 which is connected through the pipe nipple 56 to a source of vacuum and accordingly brings about the exhaustion of th'e lamp I6. The trap 52 provides a well and a screen 51 for catching foreign matter about to enter the exhaust port 23 and prevents such matter from entering and injuring the rotary valve or other parts of the exhaust system. vThe lower half 41 of the rotary valve in this instance is fastened directly to the frame I4, Whereas the upper half 46 thereof is separated from the turret II bya plurality of springs 56 which press the halves 46 and 41 of the valve together and'is engaged by the stud 59 extending from said turret II. 'I'he abovementioned parts of the machine are the only ones operating at station B although provisions are provided, in the form of an eccentrically pivoted cam 66, for squeezing the rubber tube 54 to close off the opening therethrough in the regular manner should a lamp be leftv out of the head I0 or a leaking lamp be carried thereby.

The succeeding indexing movement of the turret II which carries the head I0 into station C causes the stud 35 to be carried out from under th'e roller 36, the tipping jaws 2| and 22 to be closed on the exhaust tube I9, and brings about two successive changes in the exhaust cycle. The movement of the stud 35 from under the roller 36 does not result i-n movement of the arm- 28 or the lamp I6 as the exhaust tube I9 is now grippedv by the exhaust port 23 and the full expanding force of the spring 3| is used in keeping the holder 21 against th'e lamp I6, the arm 28 in a raised position and a slight tension in said exhaust tube I9. 'I'he tipping jaws 2| and 22 do not function at this time other than to close on the exhaust tube I9, and are` described in full in combination with the tipping operation which occurs at succeeding stations.

. The change in the exhaust cycle is due to the rotation of the upper half 46 of the rotary valve and consists in: rst, the termination of the exhaust operation as the passage 48 therein is carried over a solid portion in the lower half 41 thereof; second,'the iiushing of the lamp I6 withnitrogen as passage 6I is carried over a Y similar passage (not shown) in the lower half 41 which is connected to a source of nitrogen;

and, third, the exhausting of said lamp I6 a second time as passage 48 takes a position over another passage 55 and passage 6I is carried over vso that there is less danger oi' any foreign matter therein being blown into the lamp I6 and said system.

The exhausting operations at station C correspond to those occurring at station B and are the second exhausting operation of repeated.

exhausting and iiushing operations carried on as the head I0 passes into station D and succeedingstations (no t shown). However, as the finished lamp I6 is to be lled with argon in this instance, the nal ushing operation isunlike the rest and is done with argon and is followed by the exhausting of the argon ush and the introduction of the argon lling. This latter operation is performed ata station opposite station B and preferably brings about the iilling oi' the Alamp I6 to a pressure higher than atmospheric.

The sealing and tipping of the exhaust tube'.

I9 are the iinal operations performed by the machine and are preferably performed in the manner disclosed in Strickland application Serial No. 240,795, led November I6, 1938, by the tipping jaws 2| and 22 carried by each head IIJ. The tipping jaws 2| and 22, as previously explained, close on the exhaust tube I9 during the indexing movement ofthe head I6 from station B .to C but do not start to function to seal the tube until said head I6 reaches the station opposite station A. The jaws 2| and 22 are, as shown in Figs. 3 ,and 4, formed of a thin ribbon of metal, in this. particular instance an alloy of nickel and chromium, and are each mounted on the metal arms 65 and 69 extending from one of the insulating blocks 61. The blocks 61, in turn, are fastened to the pins 66 which are pivoted in the ends of the arms 69 and 16 and rest, due to their own weight, on other portions of said arms 69 and'1i'i.- The arms 66 and 19 are pivoted on the 'pins 1I held by the bracket 36 and are constantly under the contracting influence of-the spring 12 which extends between lugs. on the bottom of each and tends to close them on the exhaust tub'e I9. 'At stations A and B, the jaws 2| and 22'are held open by the toggle. system comprised of links 13-13 and the -arm 14 as the vertical shaft 15 to which said arm 14 is fastened is turned by the arm 16 on the lower end thereof which then engages the cam 11 (indicated in Fig. 2) through the roller v 18. The shaft 15 is held within a portion ofthe bracket 30 which extends through an opening in the turret Il. The cam 11 is held by a plurality of brackets 19, as indicated, and extends to a point midway between stations B and C where the tipping jaws 2| and 22 close.

'I'he tipping operation startsas electric current is caused to ow through the jaws 2| and 22 so that theyand the exhaust tube I9, with which they are in contact at this instant, are heated. 'I'his operation is brought about by the indexing movement which-carries the brushes 86 into contact with separate sections of the rings ai (Fig. The ring sections of the commutator 82, which head I6 passes into the station (not'shown) op'- posite station A, are vconnected to the regular line supply of electric current andare separated are engaged 'as the from each other and the bolt 83, by which they are attached to the bracket 84 on the stationary center post I of the machine, by the insulating rings 85 and bushings 86. The brushes 80 in turn, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, are each located in ways in the insulating block 81 which is supported by standard 88 and bracket 89 on the upper surface of the turret II, and are caused to-be pressed against the rings 8| of the commutator by the springs 90. The brushes 80 are held in the ways in the insulating block 81 by the insulating plate 9| which is attached thereto, and have fiexible leads 92 extending therefrom which pass through the insulating blocks 93 closing off said ways. The blocks 93 are attached to the block 81 by the pins 94 which extend down therethrough and hold the springs 90 in place behind the brushes 80.

The electrical circuit energized by the movement of the brushes 80 includes the adjustableA rheostat 95, the primary of the transformer 96 and the contacts 91 and 98 of the switch 90 which are then in engagement with each other. The secondary of the transformer 98 is connected through the wires |00 and |0| lying at opposite sides of the head I0 with the metal bars |02 attached to the upper ends of the jaws 2| and 22, and is included in a second circuit completed by the wire loop |03 which connects the metal arms 65-65 attached to the lower ends of said jaws 2| and 22.

Although the jaws 2| and 22 are heated to a relatively high temperature, the exhaust tube l@ is not completely sealed off when the head l0 comes into station E, and it is not until said head I0 reaches station F that this occurs and the switch 99 is opened and the primary current to the transformer 96 is interrupted so that the jaws 2| and 22 and the exhaust tube i0 are allowed to cool. The switch 99 may be of any form which will cause the circuit therethrough to be broken when the jaws 2| and 22 close to a predetermined point and the exhaust tube l0 is flattened a predetermined amount. This point, in this instance, is reached when the head of the bolt |04 (Fig. 3) carried by the arm 10 engages the actuating pinl i05 of the switch 80 which applies pressure to the supporting strip |06 for the contact 98 and separates said contact 98 from contact 91. The pin |05 and the main body of the switch 99 are made from an insulating material and therefore do not interfere with the operation thereof.

As disclosed in the Strickland application hereinbefore referred to, the attening of theexhaust tube |9 results in both a lateral and longitudinal expansion of said tube, the latter of which results in the upward movement of the lamp i6 Aand a rocking movement in the tipping jaws 2| and 22. A slight pull is exerted on the -lamp i6 b'y the holder 21 and the arm 28 because of the spring 3| located therebelow, and the expanding force of said spring 3| carries the lamp IB, the holder 21 and the arm 28 upward. The rocking motion of the jaws 2| and 22 results in a more lengthy and positive seal and causes the blocks 81 to turn about the axes of the pins 68. The upper and lower halves of the faces of the tipping jaws 2| and 22 are offset slightly from each other, the lower halves 2|-22 being closer together so that the portion of the exhaust tube I9 engaging the said lowerV halves is attened to a very thin section which can be easily broken. In this way, the excess end portion of the exhaust tube I8 can be broken from the portion connected to the lamp I6 after said lamp has been removed from the machine without fear that the break will intersectthe sealed portion thereof and cause a leak. As the U-shaped working portions of the jaws 2| and 22 are made from relatively. thin metal and must be kept in shape to operate correctly, each is backed with a block |01 of an insulating material ysuch as lava winch' butts against the arm 65 and is held in place thereby.'

The next indexing movement of the turret carries the head |0 into station G and carries the brushes 80 onto segments of the rings 8| of the comr'nutator 02 which are not connected to the line and therefore breaks all electrical connections to the head l0. Station G, as well as the following station H, is not used for any other purpose than to allow the exhaust tube |9 to cool, although the arm 42 Astrikes the arm |08 during the movement and is turned so as to release that portion of the exhaust tube I8 held by the exhaust port 23..

The indexing movement of the head I0 from station H to J, however, brings about the separation of the tipping jaws 2| and 22 as the roller 18 on the arm 16 controlling their movement is then carried into engagement with the cam 11. Station J is the last in the operating cycle of the machine and permits the operator to remove the lamp i6 before the head i0 is again indexed into station A. In some instances, the exhaust tube i9 parts at the pinch and the end in the exhaust port 23 must be removed separately.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: Y

l. Apparatus for exhausting and gas filling a sealedl envelope having avitreous exhaust tube extending therefrom comprising a rotatable turret, a plurality of heads mounted adjacent the periphery of said turret and each comprising a port for receiving said exhaust tube, means for exhausting said envelope and filling it with gas through said port, mechanical pinching means mounted on each of said heads and arranged to engage a portion of said exhaust tube, means for heating the portion of said exhaust tube engaged by said pinching means during rotation of said turret, andY means for actuating said pinching means to pinch and seal the said portion of the exhaust tube. l

2. Apparatus for exhausting and gas llng a sealed envelope having a vitreous exhaust tube extending therefrom comprising a rotatable turret, a plurality of heads mounted adjacent the periphery of said turret and each comprising a port for receiving said exhaust tube, means for exhausting said envelope and filling it with gas through said. port, metallic pinching jaws mounted on each of said heads and arranged to engage a portion of said exhaust tube at opposite sides, means operable by the rotation of said turret for causing an electrical current to be passed through said jaws to heat them and the portion of the exhaust tube engaged thereby during rotation of said turret, and means for actuating said jaws to pinch and seal thesaid portion of the exhaust tube.

3. Apparatus for exhausting and gas filling a sealed envelope having a vitreous exhaust tube extending therefrom comprising a rotatable turret, a plurality of heads mounted at spaced'inter-- vals adjacent the periphery of said turret, each of said heads comprising a port for receiving said exhaust tube, means for exhausting said envelope and filling it with a gas through said port, sup.-

accuser tudinal movement with respect to said exhaust Y tube,*means for heating said jaws and the adjacent portion oi said exhaust tube during rotation of said turret, means for closing said jaws against said exhaust tube to pinch it and cause a longitudinal displacement thereof with a resulting vertical movement of the said jaws and the envelope support means. j

4. Apparatus for exhausting and gas-iilling a A sealed envelopehaving a vitreous exhaust tube extending therefrom comprising a rotatable turret, a concentrically arranged 'commutator on said turret, and a plurality of heads mounted at spaced intervals adjacent the periphery of said turret and each comprising a port for receiving said exhaust tube, means for exhausting saidenvelope and'hlling it with gas through said'port, a pair 'of jaws mounted on each of said heads and arranged to engage opposite sides of said exhaust tube, means for supplying electric current to said jaws. means engaging the said commutator upon rotation of said turret for 'causing electric current to be supplied to said jaws to 'heat them suiiiciently to soften said exhaust tube, means for actuating said jaws to pinch said tube and seal it, and means for interrupting the ow oi electric current after said jaws have closed upon said tube a predetermined described comprising a 5. A device of the class rotatableturret, a plurality of heads mounted at the periphery of said turret, each of said heads comprising a holder for supporting a sealed envelope having an exhaust tube depending therefrom, said holder being mounted to reciprocate substantially vertically a 4small amount, an exhaust port for receiving the. lower end of said exhaust tube, spring means supporting -said holder above said turret, means adjacent the path of travel of said Vholder arranged to temporarily engage said holder and lower it against the action of said spring means vupon rotation of saidturrettocausetheendotsaidexhausttube to further enter said port, mechanical pinching means associated withveach said head and arranged to engage a portion of said exhaust tube,

` 6. A device of the class described comprising a rotatable turret, a plurality of heads mounted at the' periphery of said turret, each of said heads comprising a holder for supporting a sealed envelope having an exhaust tube depending therefrom, an arm supporting said holder and extending inwardly of said turret and being mounted on said turret at its inner end so as to pivot in a substantially vertical plane, an exhaust port for receiving .the lower end of said exhaust tube, spring means supporting said holder above said turret, means adjacent the path of travel of said holder arranged to temporarily engage said holder and lower it against the action of said spring means upon rotation of said turret to cause the end of said exhaust tube to further enter said port, mechanical pinching means associated with each said head and arranged to engage a' portion of said exhaust tube, means for heating said portion of said exhaust tube, and means for actuating said pinching. means to pinch and seal the said portion.4 oi the exhaust tube while said envelope is being urged upward by said-spring means.

.7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a head comprising a port for receiving the vitreous exhaust tube of a sealed envelope, and means for pinching said exhaust tube said jaws to heat them sumciently to soften the means for heating said portion of said exhaust Y tube, and means for actuating said pinching `means to pinch and seal the said portion of the exhaust tube while said envelope is being urged upward by said spring means.

portion of the exhaust tube engaged thereby, and

means for ,actuating said jaws to pinch and seal the said portion of the'exhaust tube.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of a rotatable turret, a concentrically arranged commutator on said turret, and a plurality of heads mounted at spaced intervals adjacent the periphery of said turret for supporting envelopes having vitreous exhaust tubes extending therefrom, each of. said heads comprising a port for receiving the exhaust tube of an envelope ,carried by said head, a pair of jaws mounted on each of said heads and arranged to engage opposite sides of the exhaust tube, means for supplying electrical energy to said jaws, means engaging the said commutator upon rotation of y said turret for causing' electrical energy to be supplied to said jaws to heat themsuiiiciently to soften said exhaust tube, and means for actuating said jaws to pinch said tube and seal it. FRANK J. MALDOY. 

